BBC Airs Documentary on Making of K-Pop

A K-pop documentary produced by the Chosun Ilbo has garnered attention overseas as it was broadcast by BBC World News on Saturday. The British broadcaster showed a shortened version of the 82-minute documentary "9 Muses of Star Empire," which premiered at the 2012 International Film Festival Amsterdam, to introduce viewers to Korean popular culture.

The production is an interesting piece that can explain Korean entertainment to people from overseas, said Fiona Forouzanian of the BBC.

The up-close film explores the year-long training a group of ordinary girls go through to become stars, their conflicts with managers and problems encountered by producers.

The work competed in the music category at the Amsterdam festival last year and has been invited to a separate documentary festival to be held this year in Australia and New Zealand.

Audiences around the world have reacted well to the film, according to Kim Min-chul, one of the producers, as it tries to portray the universal human desire for success and fame through the idol industry. It will be shown at cinemas in Korea before being aired on television.